Lots of places have their own pickling traditions, and India is no exception to this. Pickling in India is often a weeks long process, done by “aunties” across the entire country. Mangoes are a go-to fruit for pickling but you will find nearly every kind of fruit or vegetable in some sort of pickling predicament.

Pickling has long been used as a way of food preservation, but also to enhance and change the flavors of foods of all sorts. Now we eat pickles because we like them, not because we have to. It used to be that you could only have a specific type of fruit or vegetable year-round if it were pickled or preserved in some other way. Now, these foods are readily available all year.

Story

Since the most important part of pickling in India is the spices, not a brine, this spice blend was just bound to be full of a huge amount of spices and also a huge amount of flavor. Inspired by those deliciously flavored curries we as Americans have come to truly love, this pickling blend gives a flavor that is all too familiar to lovers of Indian food, authentic or otherwise.

Indian pickle is not like American pickle. Indian pickle keeps for a very long time. It is more like a condiment than a pickled vegetable to be handled like a single serve snack. Indian pickle is perfect for livening up plain rice dishes or pairing with potatoes for a spicy kick to the starchy face.

Flavor Profile

This blend has a warm, spicy flavor with hints of earthiness. There is also a mild heat from the red pepper flakes.

Where to Use

Use this blend with classic pickling fruits and vegetables. Cucumbers, mangoes, or even carrots will taste great when pickling with this mix. Go for the unusual and see what you like! You can use this pickling mix to get some of that curry flavor you may already love, or to try out a new flavor that you’ve been interested in for a while now.

To pickle in the American style, simply boil your fruits or vegetables until they are tender. Drain the water, then refill your cooking pot with vinegar, salt and sugar. Add a curry style pickling spice blend sachet and bring your vegetables to a boil again for 15-20 minutes. Cool the contents of your pot by removing the pot from the heat. Pour your cooled fruits or vegetables into sterilized jars and seal. Once your pickles are finished, you can pair them with rice for a nice flavor contrast.

Pickling in the Indian style takes a little more finesse. It involves mixing the spices directly with the food you want to pickle and then adding some olive oil. This is a more complex process. Usually, this kind of pickling involves ground spices, making this Indian food inspired blend more suited for the American style pickling.

Helpful Hints

Make a spice sachet when pickling in the American style! This will help you control the flavors of your pickled foods, as well as make spice removal much easier. You can make an easy spice sachet from a small square of cheese cloth. Add the amount of curry style pickling blend that you are looking for and tie it up in a cheese cloth with a small piece of kitchen twine. That’s an easy spice sachet that even the most inexperienced cook will find difficult to mess up.

The amount of Curry Style Pickling Blend you want to use is up to you. However, a good ballpark estimate to start with if you are unsure of how much to use, or if this is your first time pickling something, is to use one teaspoon of pickle blend for every two cups of liquid in your pot. Try out different amounts and see what tastes best to you.